To Accept or Not to Accept: Syrian Refugees and the U.S.

            Following the recent attacks in Paris, there has been increased discourse upon the allowance and acceptance of Syrian refugees in the United States. While some people are open to receiving refugees, backlash from people of all backgrounds has grown. It is this backlash that has made me ask why, when our country has tried to paint itself from its founding as a place of acceptance, has there been such an uproar on this issue? We are supposed to accept “the tired,” “the poor” and “the homeless” of other countries, but now we’re told Syrians under threat by ISIS and civil war aren’t welcome.

            As we’ve seen in the articles we’ve read in class, Categorically Unequal, and even Waiting for José, immigrants are not nearly as accepted as the inscription on the Statue of Liberty tries to depict. This is true with refugees as well, but arguably even more so with these Syrians. As of November 16, 31 states’ governors have declared they would not accept Syrian refugees or would need a higher screening process first. Similarly, debates have been spread across the country over the topic. Governors and people alike are using arguments such as that the refugees should be fleeing to places like Europe or Africa instead, they are not Christian, they could be ISIS members posing as refugees, but most of all, they could threaten the safety of the United States. Although there are many arguments being made, they are generally over “concern” for the U.S. and how Syrians may bring with them violence. Even more so, on November 19 the House passed a bill that would disband the allowance of Syrian and Iraqi refugees to the U.S. until national security agencies certify they do not “pose a security risk.”

            While safety for the U.S. may seem like a viable reason to refuse these refugees, we’re ignoring the fact that there is a reason for them to flee: they feel like their safety is under attack and the U.S. could be a sanctuary. Upon research on how refugees could threaten America’s safety, there is little evidence supporting this idea. Since 9/11, only 3 out of over 784,000 refugees admitted to the U.S. have been arrested for planning terroristic activities. Thus the arguments that these refugees could be terrorists in disguise and may threaten the safety of citizens are highly improbable. In reality, these arguments are most likely used as fear tactics in order to gain support from U.S. citizens whom are already in fear of terroristic groups like ISIS. So, what is it about these refugees that is really driving our political institutions to reject them?

            As we’ve seen in Categorically Unequal, those in a position of power use that power to sustain the current hierarchical order. I would argue that rather than actually being worried that these refugees could be terrorists, politicians are more concerned about keeping their political support. Rather than forming a bond with another group of people and helping them, politicians are more interested with getting reelected. Thus, they paint them as an outgroup that Americans should fear, which only promotes more racialized tendencies and hatred within our citizens.

Though the fear and safety tactic is just one of the arguments being made, it is highly over drawn and inaccurate. In reality don’t arguments like these, associating a marginalized group (fleeing Syrians) with its own enemies (ISIS), only promote a greater disconnect between the United States, Syria, and other countries in similar situations? Wouldn’t it increase the chance of the U.S. being seen as an enemy and a place to attack? To answer these questions we need to ask why media paints these refugees in this light, and at least one of those answers may be to ensure the continual support of politicians. Though this issue is much more complicated than just assessing safety concerns, it demonstrates how our secondary social institutions serve our primary social institutions. Media breeds fear to perpetuate the status quo of politics.

Interesting Links/References  

•           http://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/us-record-shows-refugees-are-not-threat   
•           http://www.vox.com/2015/11/16/9746456/map-syrian-refugees-governors
•           http://www.wrapsnet.org/Reports/AdmissionsArrivals
•           http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/19/politics/house-democrats-refugee-hearings-obama/
•      Waiting For Jose by Harel Shapira
•       Categorically Unequal by Douglas Massey